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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26192293">You Gave Up Hope</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Alitomy/pseuds/Alitomy'>Alitomy</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>The Old Guard (Movie 2020)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Angst, F/F, Feels, Immortal Wives Andy | Andromache of Scythia/Quynh | Noriko, Quynh and Andy Talk, Quynh is Not Evil, The Team Tolerate Booker's Early Return, Tumblr Ask Box Fic</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-08-30</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-08-30</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-18 04:34:35</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,731</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26192293</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Alitomy/pseuds/Alitomy</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>After five hundred years at the bottom of the ocean, she was free. </p>
<p>She inhaled her first breath of air greedily, gasping for more as she had forgotten what it felt like for her lungs to be free of water.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Andy | Andromache of Scythia/Quynh | Noriko</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>105</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>You Gave Up Hope</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>After five hundred years at the bottom of the ocean, she was free. She inhaled her first breath of air greedily, gasping for more as she had forgotten what it felt like for her lungs to be free of water. </p>
<p>She knew who to go to first. Through her visions she saw one separated from the group, and he seemed an easier approach than showing up on the doorstep of a safehouse alone. So she went to the sad little house in Paris, breaking in and waiting for the man’s return. He did so, with a handgun aimed at her face. She smiled.</p>
<p>“Booker. It’s nice to finally meet you.” </p>
<p>~ </p>
<p>They fell into a comfortable silence as the trees hurled past the passenger window, suburbia long ago changed to green fields and mountains. Quynh hated the thing called ‘radio’, so they had switched it off and only had the sound of the engine running to listen to. Not that either of them minded, both preferring to get lost in their thoughts about what was about to happen. </p>
<p>Booker was nervous, she could tell. His hands were shaky as he continuously removed them from the steering wheel to wipe them on his pants, <em>‘jeans’</em> he had called them, and she occasionally moved to touch the fabric that was so foreign to her. Booker had told her of the events that explained his exile from the team, leaving out his pathetic reasons as to why, and she understood his anxiousness. Even after five hundred years, she knew how hard the others held a grudge, and yet here he was returning to them with her by his side after only six months. </p>
<p>Quynh didn’t know how to feel. On one side she was excited to be returning to Andromache once again, to hold her close and never let go. But on the other side she was furious. How dare they leave her down there for so long? How dare they give up hope on their friend? On their love? </p>
<p>Most of all, she felt empty. </p>
<p>A certain feeling that she couldn’t place on any spectrum of emotions.</p>
<p>“We’re here,” Booker’s gruff voice splintered her thoughts, making her snap her head up to look out the windshield towards a small but comfortable looking house, surrounded by tall trees and overgrown grass. “I can always turn around.” </p>
<p>“No,” she said firmly. “We do this now. There are a lot of things I need to speak to Andromache about.” </p>
<p>With a nod they both exited the car, grabbing their bags before heading towards the front door. Booker gave her another sideways glance at her for confirmation and then knocked on the wood in a peculiar way, sucking in a breath as the door opened, gun drawn in their faces. </p>
<p>“Quynh,” Nicky gasped, immediately lowering the gun and tucking it into his waistband. </p>
<p>“Hello, Nicolo. Nice to see you again,” Quynh said smoothly, smiling tightly. She wasn’t sure what was an appropriate greeting gesture anymore, so she held out her hand, watching as he shook it slowly. </p>
<p>“It’s truly a wonder to see you, come in, come in. I will call the others,” he grinned, only faltering slightly when he met Booker’s eyes. “Booker.” </p>
<p>“I wasn’t going to let Quynh drive herself, and she didn’t know where you guys were. I’m only here for her and will make myself sparse in our time here,” Booker explained, moving his sunglasses to the top of his head as he walked inside behind Quynh. Nicky nodded and closed the front door, leading them to the common area where Joe and Nile were seated on the couch, their weapons not far from reach if they had needed to use them. </p>
<p>“Quynh,” Joe gasped in the same way Nicky had, eyes widening. “What- How? I-I don’t understand.” </p>
<p>“Yusuf. It is quite the tale, yes,” she nodded in greeting, before turning her attention to Nile. “You’re the new one.” </p>
<p>“Yeah, hi, I’m Nile,” the woman introduced herself, scratching the back of her neck. Her body language changed to something lighter when her eyes fell to Booker, as if she was happy he was here. </p>
<p>A moment of silence passed as Quynh looked at their current residence, taking in all the small details of each individual’s presence. “Where is Andromache?” </p>
<p>“She went for a run,” Nicky spoke, moving so he was standing behind Joe on the couch. “She usually takes a while, it helps clear her head.” </p>
<p>“Why don’t you get settled? We can make you some tea?” Joe suggested, and smiled at Quynh’s slightest nod before moving towards the kitchen. The other three immortals stayed silent, unsure of what to say or do next. </p>
<p>“I will stay here until I speak with Andromache. After that, I do not know what I will do,” Quynh spoke to Nicky, who nodded in response. </p>
<p>“I’m sure Andromache would be accepting of your choice, no matter what it is,” he replied. “Come, maybe we can tell you some of our adventures?” </p>
<p>There seemed no harm intended and Quynh’s anger resided heavily on Andromache, so she stiffly nodded. Maybe, if listening to all they did in her absence would help her understand why. She drank the tea that Joe provided, grimacing as it hit her tongue much to the laughter of the other two. </p>
<p>It was much later when Andy returned to the house, soaking wet with sweat and rain that now fell steadily on the roof. The laughter from the living room made her raise her eyebrow, as she thought she heard Booker’s soft chuckle in the midst, as well as a voice she hadn’t heard in centuries. </p>
<p>“What’s going on?” She spoke before walking into the room, freezing dead in her tracks. There she was. Quynh. Right there in front of her, in their safehouse, sitting on the couch with tea in her hands and laughing with her family. “Quynh.” </p>
<p>Five pairs of eyes looked at her, but she only returned the favour to one. It had been so long since she had stared into those brown eyes, she now found herself struggling to look away. Soft whispers could be heard and soon it was just them two in the room, the others graciously taking their leave. </p>
<p>Andy watched as Quynh stood, placing her mug on the coffee table before walking over to stand in front of her. She watched as her long lost love reached up and gently touched her cheek, trailing her hand down her neck before it rested on her necklace. </p>
<p>“This is mine,” Quynh said as she eyed the jewellery. “You kept it.” </p>
<p>“I did. I couldn’t leave it behind. It’s all I had of you,” Andy whispered, afraid that speaking too loudly would reveal this to be but dream. </p>
<p>“You stopped looking.” </p>
<p>“That’s not true. That’s absolutely not true,” Andy pleaded. “Quynh, I looked for you for centuries. Every spare moment I had I scoured the ocean for you.”</p>
<p>“All that time, and yet you failed. Five hundred years of nothing but water filling my lungs. Andromache, I have forgotten what it felt like to breathe air, to eat, to feel anything but myself dying over and over again, losing myself.” Quynh dropped her hands to her sides, looking Andy straight in the eye. “I am empty inside. Nothing but a shell of the woman who you once knew.”</p>
<p>“Quynh, please.” </p>
<p>“Every sparse moment of consciousness was spent praying to the Gods that I’d be found quickly. That the next time I awoke I would be seeing blue skies, green grass, mountains, trees, <em>life</em>. That never came. I lost all sense of time, of who I was before, of who we were. I went insane.” </p>
<p>“My life has been dedicated to finding you. I couldn’t- I didn’t know how. Quynh, please. I did all I could to even give myself a chance at finding you,” Andy said softly, closing her eyes as Quynh reached up to touch her cheek once more. </p>
<p>“You gave up hope,” Quynh mumbled. “I felt it inside me. Every moment I was down there I felt sane because I knew you were still searching. But then you weren’t, and that’s when my sanity left me.” </p>
<p>Tears filled Andy’s eyes as they opened, the blue irises prominent against the reddened whites. “I am glad you’re alive. If there is nothing else you believe from my mouth, believe that.” </p>
<p>Quynh’s bottom lip trembled as she stepped back. “There is nothing more I wish to do than hurt you, Andromache. I want to hurt you so badly, and I would have had Booker not informed me of your mortality.”</p>
<p>An inhumane noise surfaced from Andy’s throat, the tears now freely flowing down her cheeks. </p>
<p>“But there’s no longer such desire to see you hurt. That has been replaced with hatred that bears no violence, one that I’m sure will pass, but not within the time you have left.” Quynh quickly wiped away a loose tear of her own before daring to make eye contact with Andy. “I’m not sure what to make of this modern world, but I am willing to quench my foul feelings for some time to spend it with you.” </p>
<p>“Y-You want to stay? You just said you hate me.” Andy sniffled and looked at her incredulously. </p>
<p>“Yes, I do. But I still missed you, dreadfully so. I would like to hear what my dear Andromache has gone through in my absence.” </p>
<p>“I will tell you anything you wish to know,” Andy nodded. “As much as I want you to stay with us, I will not stop you if you want to leave. Whenever and if ever that time comes.” </p>
<p>Quynh sucked in a breath before nodding, rushing forward and crashing against Andy, arms wrapping around her middle tightly and face buried in her neck, tears falling steadily. Andy had wrapped her arms around Quyhn’s shoulders, a hand in her long, black hair and soft words in a forgotten language were exchanged between them. </p>
<p>~</p>
<p>When Booker poked his head around the doorframe to check on them he found the women sleeping on the couch absent each other’s touch with the exemption of their hands, holding onto one another so tightly he wondered how they were sleeping so peacefully.</p>
<p>Yeah, he had a feeling that despite the inevitable rough times ahead, they would be fine. </p>
<p>They all would be.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>quynh x andy scenes in the sequel k thx greg + gina xD</p>
<p>follow me on tumblr: alit0my</p></blockquote></div></div>
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